Cāri varṇa. Cāri varṇa means four castes, four division of human society: the brāhmin, the kṣatriyas, the vaiśyas and the śūdra. They have got their specific duties. One who is brāhmin, he has got his specific duty. Culture . . . cultivation of knowledge is their first and foremost duty. Similarly, kṣatriya, he has got his specific duty. The fore and foremost is to establish good administration in the state. And vaiśya, he has got also specific duty.
What is that? Cow protection and agriculture. That is the duty of vaiśya. And the śūdras, they have no responsibility; therefore they serve these three higher class: the intelligent class, engaged in cultivation of knowledge; the administrator class, who are engaged in good government; and the mercantile class, who are looking to the productive side of this society.
So this is natural. There is no denying the fact. In every society there is a natural division. A certain class of men, they are intelligent class, a certain class of men, they are take part in politics, and a certain class of men, they delight in doing business. And there are certain classes—they do not do anything; simply by serving, they maintain themselves. So these four classes are there.
So according to Vedic civilization, these four classes are also recommended to serve the Supreme Lord. Supreme Lord. With their professional occupation, they want . . . they have to, they have to serve the Supreme Lord. That is the injunction of the Vedic literature.
- cāri varṇāśramī yadi kṛṣṇa nāhi bhaje
- svakarma karite se raurave paḍi' maje
- (CC Madhya 22.26)
Therefore Lord Caitanya says that suppose an intelligent brāhmin, he's very learned scholar and great philosopher, big thinker . . . everything is all right. But he has no relationship in the matter of rendering service to the Supreme Lord. That is minus. That means learned scholar minus Kṛṣṇa consciousness. Similarly, a learned politician, able administrator, minus Kṛṣṇa consciousness . . . similarly, a successful businessman minus Kṛṣṇa consciousness . . . or the śūdras . . .
Anyone, if he is minus Kṛṣṇa consciousness, then the result is that svakarma karite se raurave paḍi' maje: "By doing, by executing his specific duty, he's going to hell." Hell. It is a fact. He's thinking that, "I am doing my duty," but he's going to hell. So this is a version of Lord Caitanya. He, even if he does his duty very nicely, still, he's going to hell. Raurave paḍi' maje. Raurave means hell. And again He gives evidence from Śrīmad-Bhāgavatam:
- mukha-bāhūru-pādebhyaḥ
- puruṣasyāśramaiḥ saha
- catvāro jajñire varṇā
- guṇair viprādayaḥ pṛthak
- (CC Madhya 22.27)
- ya eṣāṁ puruṣaṁ sākṣād-
- ātma-prabhavam īśvaram
- na bhajanty avajānanti
- sthānād bhraṣṭāḥ patanty adhaḥ
- (CC Madhya 22.28)
In the Śrīmad-Bhāgavata, Eleventh Canto, these two verses are there. What is that? Mukha-bāhūru-pādebhyaḥ puruṣasyāśramaiḥ saha. Now, according to Vedic conception of social life, there are four divisions of social order and four divisions of spiritual order. The four divisions of social order is the brāhmaṇa, kṣatriya, vaiśya and śūdra; and spiritual order is the sannyāsī, vānaprastha, gṛhastha and brahmacārī. To become a brahmacārī means to make advance in spiritual life. And the social order is there, the brāhmaṇas, kṣatriya. So it is called varṇāśrama-dharma.